Paper VT-TuP5
Advanced Metal Sealing Solutions for Critical Industry Applications

Tuesday, October 31, 2017, 6:30 pm, Room Central Hall

As operating conditions in many critical industries, such as vacuum and semiconductor, continue to face increasingly extreme temperatures and pressures, sealing technologies are facing challenges that cannot be met with traditional materials and methods. Additionally, there are growing pressures to ensure the protection of the environment remains a top priority for companies and that they are consistently meeting the strict requirements associated with international regulations. More and more manufacturers are turning to metal seals as their solution of choice as today’s industry requirements are becoming more and more stringent.

Because of these stringent requirements, metal seals designed for use in modern sealing applications must be resilient to the extreme temperatures and pressures that they are exposed to in a number of harsh environments. Seal designs must also allow for bi-direction flow, be suitable for axial and radial applications, provide a long sealing life, be resistant to corrosion, be able to remain as leak tight as possible under semi-dynamic motions and account for thermal expansions.

This presentation will explain the factors to consider when selecting a metal sealing solution and what types of seal designs (spring-energized, O-rings, C-rings, E-rings, etc) are best suited for each given aspect of a critical industry application. The factors that will be discussed in the presentation will include but are not limited to seating load, seal function, seal material and thickness, required leak rate, coatings, controlled compression and surface finish. Additionally, the specific applications where metal seals are most suited and why will also be discussed.